Visualization of Pulse Propagation Phenomena with MATLAB and W

Propagation of electromagnetic pulses in transmission lines, waveguides, and optical fibers is an important topic in the design of telecommunication, signal-processing, and VLSI systems. Modern undergraduate and graduate programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering often include this topic in their curricula. Static displays of scalar or vector fields are usually not sufficient to illustrate the complexity of the propagation process, particularly when dispersion and attenuation are considered. In this paper, we describe the use of the MATLAB and WAVEFRONT Data Visualizer software to provide a dynamic view of the pulse propagation process in a variety of situations. The propagation process itself is described by a cascade of linear filters that represent different mechanisms of signal distortion. The modeling and simulation of this process are performed using MATLAB. Data are then filtered and exported into WAVEFRONT. Libraries of signal waveforms and filters are provided for a variety of common configurations used in optical and microwave engineering. Extension of this work to cover non-linear propagation effects is under investigation.